When I turned 60 years old, 35 years into my run as president and CEO of Stockwell Elastomerics, I started thinking seriously about the future of the company that had been in my family since my great grandfather founded it in 1919.
We had built a successful business in Philadelphia, growing to three buildings and employing more than 100 workers throughout the city, and providing custom silicone gaskets to customers near and far. Over the years, I fended off inquiries from just about everyone—larger competitors, suppliers, private equity firms, and strategic corporations. One competitor even put a signed check on a table and asked me to fill in the number. I declined.
